Drill collar for hydraulic rotary drills



L. E. NEBERGALL L. ZEERGALL.

w@ @www Feb. 8, 1927.

DRILL COLLAR FOR HYDRAULIC ROTARY DRILLS v Filed March 5, 1923 Patented Feb. 8, 1.927. i

UNITED-STATES LORAN' E. NEBERGALL, 0F DENVER, QOLRADO.

DRILL COLLAR FOR HYDRAULIC 'ROTARY DBILLS.

Application mea March 5, 1923.4 seriai No. 622,944.

My invention relates to tools and appliances for drilling artesian and oil wells, an particularly to devices for use in connection with hydraulic rotary drills. It is the object of my invention to provide means in connection with a hydraulic rotary drill where'- by to insure the drilling of a straight vertical hole, and to prevent the turning aside or lateral deflection of the drill by obstructions of the various kinds'encountered in broken, irregular and slanting geological formations,v which result in the production of crooked holes, so that the well-casing cannot be inserted, and which may also cause the drilling tools to be broken oif and stuck in the hole, so that the drilling operations cannot be completed. A more particular object of my invention 'is to provide` for hydraulic rotary drills a drill collar or member which is connected directly with the rotary bit and extends above the same for a 'considerable distance, the said member or drill collar being' of substantially the same diameter as the bit, so as to iit within and be guided by the sidesl of the hole, whereby to prevent lateral deflection of the bit.

further object of my invention is to provide for the aforesaid drill collar a removable external shell or sleeve which may be readily renewed when worn, and to pro:- vide atthe lower end of said .shell a shoe having cutting edges which serve to ream and denitely size the hole in advance of the vguiding portion of the collar. A further object of my invention is to provide a drill collar adapted to directly guide the rotary bit by reason of having a diameter substantiallythe same as tional form that the sale may be of the required length for eiiciently guiding the bit without being ot excessive weight.' In the accompanying 'drawings Fig. 1 is .a vertical sectional view, showing in use the lower portion of a hydraulic rotary drill mechanism including a drillcollar embodying my invention, av portion of the shell or lwear-sleeve being in` section, and a portion 'of the drill collar lntermediateits ends be ing broken away to avoid excessive length of the drawing without employing a. greatly reduced scale therefor, Fig.l 2 is a detail side view of the main portion or stem of the drill collar, some ofthe tion thereof being broken away, Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the drill collar on the line -3'3 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a transthel bit, and of such sec-V -bit. same 1s internally threaded-to form a box' intermediate winged` porl lpipe adjacent thereto.

verse section of the same von the line 4-4 ofl d Fig. 1;

It will be understood that. the devices herein particularly described are used in con- .nection with a hydraulic rotary drill outiit of the usual and substantially standthe rotary bit is transmitted through a string of drill-pipe which also serves to ,carry to the bottom of the hole thewater or slush for flushing out the loosened material and ardized type, wherein the power for driving f 'for sealing oit gas or water encountered in porous strata above'that which the holeis. ldeslred .to reach. In the usual practice in rotary drilling, the drill-pipe and rotary bit are connected to each other by an intermediate member designated as a drill collar, the same being a tubular body internally threaded at its lower end to receivel the taper-threaded pin of the bit, and threaded at its upper end to receive the pin-end on theolower section of the drillpipe. The device provided by my invention is to be used in place of the usual drill collar, and hence is designated by the same name, although it has additional functions.

In the illustrated structure the drill-pipe 5 has at the lowerend thereofthe usual pinend 6, and the rotary bit 7 is of the common four-wing type, havlng a tapergthreaded pin at the upper end of its tubular shank. The drill collar has `an integral tubular body lor-stem, of which the upper and lower 'endl portions 8 and: 9V are cylindrical and of slightly larger V'diameter than the intermediate cylindrical portion 10, with which said cylindrical end-portions areunited by tapering or slightly conical portions 11. The opening 12 through the entire stem forms a continuation of the water-passage through the drill-pipe and the shank of the lit the 4lower end of the portion 9 the 13 for receiving the pin'of the bit, and at the upper end of theportion 8 there is 'a slightly enlarged head 14 which is threaded internally to form a box -for receiving .the pin of the member 6. The shoulder 15 formedV at the vlower end of the; head 14 is' adapted for engagement by an overshot, and, is for use in fishing operations shouldthe tools be dropped in thel hole vby reasonA of breaking of the 'pin-end 6 or of the drill- Upon the. intermediate4 stem-portion 1Q and the tapered portions 11, and' formed nof t the upper'and lower ends of the -wings their sitely disposed wings 22 of whicha portion is internally threaded which outer faces are inclined toward the stemportions 8 a'nd 9, terminating at the larger ends .of the tapering portions 11.v For a short lengthrnear their upper ends the diameter between theV outer faces of the oppois substantially the same as thediameter of therotary bit or of the hole in'which thetool is used. Below said upper end-portions of the wings, the diameter across the thickness of the s elll or wear-sleeve 17, which fits around the wings as indicated in Fig. 1. The upper end of the4 shell 17 is notched to vform a series of lugs 18 which extend between the upperportions of the wings, said lugs being bent inwardly as indicated in-Fig. 3, whereby to avoid the formation' of a square offset or shoulder between the wings atsaid upper end of the shell, as such a shoulderv might interfere with the re,- moval of the tool from thehole. The clownwardly facing'shou dersv 19. at the end of the reduced portions of -the wings, seat against the bottoms of the notches inthe upper end of the shell. The lugs 18, by entering between the wings in the manner indicated, prevent relative rotation ofthe shell'and the winged stem, and such rotation is also are secured by rivets.-21 within the lower end-portion of the shell, between the wings 16, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. The

shell terminates at some distance above the lower ends of the wings, and below the lower end of the shell there is arranged a member and screwed onto threads 23 formed o'n the outer faces of the wings as bestl shown in Fig. "2., In' practice, said member 22 is a rotary shoe, such as is commonly used with rotary well-drilling outfits when sinking well-casing, the shoe being screwed onto the lower end of the casing-pipe` and having saw-teeth or cutting edges at its lower end, which serve'toream the vhole-andclear a passage for the casing. ln-the present case the shoe or member 22 has saw-toothed cutting edges 24 at its lower end which serve to ream and vsmooth the sides of the hole, and the shoe also serves thel purpose of retaining the shell or wear-sleeve in longitudinal position upon the winged portion of the stem. by engaging the lower end of said shell and pressing. the upper 'end thereof against the shoulders 19. Below the threads 23 the diameter across the wings is reduced tothe root-diameter of said threads, so thatthe shoe maybe screwed `onto and ofthe threaded` portion. When the shoe is re-` same is reduced by the4 prevented by means. of plates 20l remesa moved the shell is freed so'that it may also be withdrawn oli' the lower end of the stem, or replaced in position thereon.

When my drill collar is in use the drilling operation proceeds/in substantially the usual manner, the 'string of tools being rotated and gradually lowered into the hole, while water or slush is forced down through the drill-pineand the drill collar to the bottom of the hole. The return iiow of the slush from the bottom of the hole passes through t-he.collar,inside the shoe 22 and shell 17, and between the wings 16 to the upper end of the shell. rlhence the flow is through the space around the drill-pipe in the usual way. It willabe understood that the drill-guiding collar is of great length, relative to the diameter thereof, whereby to effectively hold the bit in, a true vertical position notwithstanding minor irregularities in the sides of thehole, and dislodgment of bodies-of material outside 'the`norm'al areal of the hole. In practice, the length of the drill collar should be not less nthan ten feet, and may be as much as twenty-live feet or more, according tothe diameter of the hole being drilled, and the known tendencies of the geological formations penetrated to deflect the drill from vertical alinement. The vsmoothing of the sides `of the hole which results from the reaming action' of the cutting edges of the shoe 22, assists materially in the formation of firm non-caving walls or sides, and this effect is further enhanced by the shell 17 which protects the recently cut sides of the hole from the erosive action of the upwardly flowing stream of slush. The shell, rotating in contact with the sides of the hole, also has a tendency to rub or pflaster into the same the clay, silt or other suspended vmaterial, and thus further assist in the formation of smooth uniformly cylindrical walls.

The drill collar provided by ymy invention may be advantageously employed for straightening crooked holes which have been drilled by ordinary means. or without the use of the guiding drill collar. When used for this purpose, it is sometimes desirable to omit kthe shell 17 and shoe 22, thereby allowing the edges of the wings 16 to contact directly with the sides of the hole, and thus have a tendency convex surfaces at the places which are out of vertical alinement with the straight portions of the hole. When used in this manner the diameter across the wings, through their length', should be substantially the diameter of the hole which it is desired to produce.

When my drill collarisemployed in the original drilling of a hole, it is almost always preferable that the shell or wear-sleeve 17 be employed, and if the device is to be such as might result from caving to ream off the projecting -needl not be inclined or helically twisted,

` wings of substantially uniform thickness throughout their entire width and extending radially from the stem. said wings being continuous longitudinally between points near the ends of the stem and having smooth side faces and forming spirally arranged.

longitudinal spaces between them constituting channels for the upward flow of slush from the bottom of a drilled hole after the slush has lpassed the `drilling means, and a wear sleeve carried by the collar and fitted about said wings throughout the greater portion thereof and forming outer walls for the said spiral channels to confine the slush between the wings while the slush is passing upward through the channels.

2. A drill collar for hydraulic rotary well drilling comprising a, tubular stemof great length having at its lower end means for detachable connection with a rotary bit and having at its upper end means for like connection with a drill pipe, said stem having wings extending radially therefrom` saidv wings being continuous longitudinally between points near the ends of the stem and having smooth Side faces and forming longitudinal passages between them constiutow of slush from the bottom of the drilled hole after the slush has passed the drilling means, a wear sleeve fitting about said wings throughout the greater portion of the length thereof. and movable -by the stem in the forwarding boring movement of the tool, and means for removably securing the wear sleeve in place, the latter means permitting the passage of the slush through the slush channels. v

3. A drill collar for hydraulic rotary well i drilling comprising a tubular stem of great length having at its lower end means for detachable connection with a rotary bit and having at its upper end means for like connection with a drill pipe, said'stem having wings extending radially therefrom, said wings being continuous longitudinally between points near the ends of the stem and having smooth. side faces and forming longitudinal passages between them constituting channels for the upward return flow of slush from the bottom of the drilled hole after'the slush has passed the drilling means,

a wear sleeve fitting about said wings throughout the greater portion of the length thereof, and a shoe disposed below the sleeve and having cutting edges formed at the lower end thereof, said shoe retaining the sleeve in place and permitting the passage of the slush through the slush channels.

4, Hydraulic rotary well-drilling mecha nism comprising in combination a rotary bit and drill pipe for actuating said bit, a relatively long collar -connecting said bit and drill pipe, said collar having a central water passage and provided with radially projecting longitudinal ribs having smooth side faces and being of substantially uniform thickness throughout-their entire width and forming continuous spirally arranged longitudinal -passages constituting slush channels for the upward return .of slush from the bottom of the drilled hole after 'the slush has passed .the bit, and a tubular sleeve carried by the collar and fitted about the wings throughout the greater portion of the length of the same and forming outer walls for the said slush channels to confine the slush between the wings during the upper passage drilling comprising a tubular stemhaving.

at its lower end means for detachable connection toa rotary bit and having at its upper end means for like connection with a drill pipe, said stem having wings extending radially therefrom, said wings y having smooth side faces and forming longitudinal slush channels between them, atubular sleeve fitting about the wings throughout thevgreater portion of the length of the same and interlocked at its upper end with the same to prevent relative rotary movement, said ribs being provided at the upper end of the sleeve with shoulders for engaging the same and a shoe arranged on the ribs and having a threaded engagement with the same and detachably securing the sleeve in engagement vwith the said shoulders.

L. E. NEBERGLL. 

